Gift Guide #2: Gifts that Give Back

The holiday season is about giving, and here are some presents that do double duty. Each product in today's gift guide benefits charity in some way, so you don't have to feel guilty if you have a few To: me, From: me gifts under the tree.

1.) Rachel Roy UNICEF Charity Tote (Shopbop, $20): After designer Rachel Roy heard about the recent floods in Pakistan that affected over 10 million children, she teamed up with UNICEF to design a tote for the cause. For each bag sold Roy will donate $20 to the US Fund for UNICEF in support of flood relief efforts in Pakistan.

2.) Tory Burch Foundation Studded Cuff (Tory Burch, $95): These colorful bangles with metallic studs are so popular, the Tory Burch website already sold out! If you're dying for one of these bracelets that benefits the Tory Burch Foundation, give customer service a call at 1-866-480-8679--they assured me that all colors can still be found in stores and would be more than happy to ship them through the mail.

3.) Soft Hands Kind Heart Hand Cream (The Body Shop, $7): The Body Shop's moisturizing cream does more than leave hands soft, 100% of the proceeds from the product go to ECPAT International, a nonprofit that focuses on combating and raising awareness of sex trafficking of children and young people.

4.) Silver Morocco Women's Classics (Tom's Shoes, $54): In 2006 Blake Mycoskie created Toms Shoes, a for-profit company with a mentality of giving. After spending time with children in Argentina, Mycoskie was struck by how many could not afford shoes, and pledged to help the situation. Toms shoes operates under the motto "one for one," for every pair of shoes, like these chic silver morocco classics, the company donates a pair to a child in need.

5.) Brass Wrapped Circle Earrings (Ten Thousand Villages, $24): I've written about Ten Thousand Villages on this blog before, but it is such a great non-profit, I can't help but include it in this post. Ten Thousand Villages is one of the world's largest fair trade organizations and focuses on improving the lives of artisans in over 35 countries. These particular earrings were handcrafted by jewelry artisans in Mombasa, Kenya.

Taste Test Tuesday: Vosges Haute Chocolat

Salty paired with sweet is a classic food combination, but Vosges Haute Chocolat took the bold flavor profile to the next level with their "Mo's Bacon Bar." A mix of Applewood smoked bacon, Alderwood smoked salt and 45% cacao deep milk chocolate, the bar is an exotic experience for your taste buds. I picked one up on a whim last week when I was shopping in Whole Foods, but forgot about it until I found it in my purse this afternoon.

The chocolate bar was much better than I expected. The intense chocolate flavor of the rich cacao was quickly followed by a hint of salt and a bold, smokey aftertaste. The flavors heightened each other creating a savory eating experience that can best be described as intense.

Unfortunately, as the creamy chocolate melted in my mouth, the bits of bacon and salt became chewy and stuck in my teeth.

While the Vosges product was an interesting taste test experiment, it's more of a novelty food item than an realistic snack.

Vosges specialty chocolate truffles are available in most Whole Foods grocery stores and on the brand's website: http://www.vosgeschocolate.com/

Readers, would you try a bacon chocolate bar? What's the craziest food you've tried recently?

Send a stylish Christmas message...

Brown Thomas has worked closely with its top designer brands to produce a range of world exclusive designer Christmas cards featuring drawings from Victoria Beckham, Roberto Cavalli, Manolo Blahnik and Lulu Guinness, alongside images from Lanvin and Tiffany & Co. Purchase a set of three cards for €10 and all proceeds will go to the Irish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (ISPCC).

Ways to Procrastinate During Exams

After finishing my last final yesterday, I'm finally headed home to Nashville to celebrate the holidays with my family. Exams were rough, and I can't imagine going through them again, but for those of you still stuck in University libraries nation-wide, here my favorite procrastination websites:

College Humor--Okay, so some of the jokes are a bit questionable, but the site's definitely good for a laugh when you're stressed out. Parodying college life, this multimedia website was started by a Wake Forest alum, Ricky Van Veen, so you know it's got to be good.

Orisinal's Winterbells-- Winterbells is not your typical computer game. Soothing music plays are you navigate a bunny through the sky, collecting bells as you go. Lose a round? No problem, the bunny falls peacefully to the snow-filled ground. There's no animated violence, no aggression, no simulated bunny death, just good clean fun. Be careful though, it's addictive.

Pandora--For those of you who can't study in complete silence, I recommend Pandora. Just plug in an artist or song you like into this online radio and you'll be instantly serenaded by only the music you like. It's my favorite place to discover bands I might not find otherwise.

Sporcle--Whether you're cramming for a History final or just a Harry Potter fanatic, Sporcle has a quiz for you.  My favorite trivia games? Historical Tweets, Harry Potter Top 200, and Famous Faces Badly Drawn.

Online Shopping--Even as my bank account inches closer to $0.00, I find myself scouring the internet for this season's latest trends. My favorite one-stop shops with lots of inventory include: department stores like Bloomingdale's, Etsy, Shopbop, Bluefly, and online sample sale sites RueLaLa and Gilt.

Readers what are your favorite websites to procrastinate on? Besides blogs of course!

Gift Guide #1: Stocking Stuffers

With my exams almost finished, I'm finally starting to get into the holiday spirit. This post marks the first in a series of gift guides I'll be writing to help last minute shoppers find the perfect presents for their loved ones. I figured I'd start small, so today's guide is all about stocking stuffers!

Row 1 (L to R):
Taylor Swift's Speak Now (Amazon, $8.99)

Bliss Grape Seed Hand Cream (Sephora, $8)  
Behind the Hedge Cuff (Lilly Pulitzer, $68)

Row 2 (L to R):
Jeweled Headband (J. Crew, $26.50)
Tory Burch Leather Wristlet (Nordstrom, $125)
Milk Chocolate Gingerbread Man (Godiva, $6)

Row 3 (L to R):
Minnie Muse Notepad (Forever 21, $4.80)
Set of 6 Polka-Dot Coasters (Kate Spade, $20)
Set of 5 Fifi Lapin Notecards (Fifi Lapin, $15)

Movie Review: Morning Glory

Sometime between stuffing ourselves silly with turkey and donning formal ware for a deb ball, my family managed to squeeze in a trip to the movies where the Hallemann women saw Morning Glory, Rachel McAdams latest romantic comedy. Though less than an intellectually stimulating classic, the film was cute. I must say, I liked it even more than I thought I would.
 
Morning Glory follows McAdams' character Becky Fuller as she works to revive a struggling network morning show. Amidst heavy hitters Diane Keaton and Harrison Ford who play the show's quibbling co-hosts, McAdams held her own and carried the movie. Fuller is anal retentive, persistent, ambitious and a touch naive without being annoying. Hard to believe, I know. The dialogue is sharp and witty, but I do wish the love story had been a bit more developed.

But overall, I definitely recommend it.

Next on my list: Natalie Portman's psychological thriller Black Swan.

Readers, what movie's have you seen recently?

Girls in White Dresses: The Bal d'Hiver

 

Well readers, this is my first blog post as an official member of society. Is my writing any different?

Over Thanksgiving break, I had the privilege's of taking part in Nashville's Bal d'Hiver. As the Bal is a traditional debutant ball with all the trappings,  the 60+ participants wore floor-length white dresses with long gloves. It was quite the fashion show.

Surrounded by girls covered in lace, sequins and rhinestones, my gown appeared simple in comparison because I chose a strapless, classic design--I've never been a huge fan of dresses with lots of bling.

Before presentation all the girls were abuzz with nerves behind the scenes praying we wouldn't trip and fall down the stairs, but fortunately, everyone survived without mishap. After dinner and a father/daughter dance, the band played all night and everyone, parents included, tore up the dance floor. 

While the debutante tradition began in America as a way for wealthy families to advertise their daughter's eligibility to marry, a modern deb ball is really more of an excuse to get dressed up and throw a party.

There are more pictures after the jump!

 Getting ready with my sister!

 At the event

 Floral Arrangements

 With my escort Patrick at dinner

 Girls before presentation

Hallemann kids